Google Cloud Platform Optimization

Google Cloud Platform optimization is often considered to be the third stage of “cloud awareness” – the stage following the adoption Google´s Compute Engine (GCE) because of its competitive pricing structure (Stage 1) and the rapidly escalating deployment of instances on the platform (Stage 2).

It is at this stage that Google Cloud Platform optimization becomes a priority due to rapidly escalating costs of deployment on GCE. It is also important to get GCE costs under control to prevent the scenario in which instances are temporarily unavailable due to preset spending limits being exceeded.

There are several ways to reduce the cost of deployment on GCE. Companies can take advantage of a Sustained Use Discount or move some instances to a pre-emptible pricing structure. However, these options do not necessarily provide a long-term solution for Google Cloud Platform optimization without effective governance to prevent more and more instances being deployed on GCE.

Solutions for Google Cloud Platform Optimization

After eliminating short term solutions for Google Cloud Platform optimization, the way most companies reduce the cost of deployment on GCE long term is by switching off non-production development, staging and testing instances when they are not required. There are three ways of achieving this:

Tell developers to manually switch off non-production instances when not required.

Get developers to write scheduling scripts to switch off non-production instances.

Automate the on/off times of non-production instances with scheduling software.

Of the three options, scheduling software is the most cost-effective. Developers can forget to switch off their development, staging and testing instances, making the first option unreliable, while reassigning developers away from core projects could cost the company more than it saves and delay the delivery of the core projects.

By comparison, scheduling software is inexpensive to implement and easy to use. It can reduce the cost of deployment on GCE by up to 65% and achieve Google Cloud Platform optimization through increased IT governance and improved instance management.

How to Reduce the Cost of Deployment on GCE

In most companies, access to development staging and testing instances is only required during the working week. For the rest of the time – 108+ hours per week – compute power is usually left running, which means it is still being paid for. Scheduling software eliminates this waste by automating the on/off process.

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When users log into the software using their existing GCE credentials, the software conducts a discovery of that user´s instances and makes recommendations about which are suitable for scheduling (or “parking”) based on the names and tags assigned to them.

Users have the choice of accepting the software´s recommendations or picking which of the recommended instances they want to automate on/off times for. They can also choose from a selection of pre-configured parking schedules or create individual schedules per instance to match their agendas. Policies created by administrators can automate the entire schedule assignment process.

When the parking schedule is confirmed, the UI displays how much the schedule will reduce the cost of deployment on GCE. Once activated, the UI displays actual savings. These figures can be downloaded by administrators – including breakdowns of spending vs. savings by team and by user – to help increase accountability and to assist with future project and budget planning.

Further Benefits of Scheduling Software

Scheduling software does more than just reduce the cost of deployment on GCE. Administrators can increase accountability by creating team and role structures within the software so that team members can only access the development, staging and testing instances assigned to their team.

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With its single-view dashboard, administrators get a full picture of the company´s GCE accounts and can use the information to reassign instances to less expensive zones, machine types and pricing plans. Administrators can also identify unused instances and reassign or retire them to make further savings.

As well as improving the management of instances, scheduling software reduces the security resources required to monitor and protect the instances. For example, parked instances cannot be hacked or accessed by unauthorized third parties. This eliminates the need for network security teams to monitor the instances or run time-consuming virus scans.

It is estimated that up to $6 billion was wasted on unused cloud resources in 2016. If you add the indirect “cloud waste” attributable to a lack of IT governance and instance management, that figure is much higher. With Google cloud platform optimization, companies can benefit from a reduction in costs and enhanced productivity due to increased accountability, and therefore enjoy higher profits.

Free Scheduling Software from ParkMyCloud

ParkMyCloud is a lightweight Software-as-a-Service app that automates the parking process for non-production instances to help companies reduce the cost of deployment on GCE. Our long-term solution for Google Cloud Platform optimization has already helped hundreds of companies save millions of dollars, and you are invited to evaluate the benefits of ParkMyCloud in your own environment for free.

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Our offer consists of a fourteen-day free trial of ParkMyCloud, with no credit cards required nor contracts to sign. Best of all, all the money you save during the free trial is yours to keep. At the end of the free trial, you have the option of continuing to use a limited version of ParkMyCloud without charge, or upgrading to any of our premium subscription packages with enhanced functionality.

To take advantage of our free trial offer, click any “Try it Now” button on this page. If you have any questions about ParkMyCloud, or would like to know more about Google Cloud Platform optimization, do not hesitate to get in touch. Our team of experienced Customer Support representatives will be happy to discuss your requirements with you, and guide you through how ParkMyCloud can help your company achieve Google Cloud Platform optimization.